California Soul
Say the words fried chicken and what images do you conjure in your mind’s eye? Is it platefuls of comfort? The crunch of cripsy skin giving way to steamy, juicy chicken within? Their partners in crime, by the names of mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, and collard…
Say the words fried chicken and what images do you conjure in your mind’s eye? Is it platefuls of comfort? The crunch of cripsy skin giving way to steamy, juicy chicken within? Their partners in crime, by the names of mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, and collard greens?
Southern Soul?
Well, we here in California have soul, too.
The legendary Thomas Keller has proven that Californians know their fried chicken, with droves of fried chicken seekers making pilgrimages to his Yountville restaurant, Ad Hoc, for what has been dubbed “Fried Chicken Night.” Twice a month, on a Monday, you will find Bay Area locals who played hookie from work alongside tourists who have cleared their schedules to satisfy their deep fried cravings.
We all can’t be in Napa, on a designated Monday night no less, but we can all give in to a good helping of fried chicken at home. For Challenge 7 of Project Food Blog, I wanted to show you how to make a plateful of fried chicken that will make you feel as though you played hookie from work for a day. With a nod to Keller’s brining approach, I simplify things by brining the chicken in a spicy buttermilk, resulting in an exceptionally crisp and flaky crust and moist and tender chicken.
You Deserve a Treat
I know some of you might be shaking your head, saying, oh no, fried chicken is just too greasy and bad for you. But before you deny yourself some finger lickin’ goodness, perhaps I can ease your fried food anxiety a bit.
The key to deep frying is doing it right. As I mention in the video, oil temperature is critical. With the correct oil temperature, the chicken will flash fry upon first contact with the oil, creating a seal with the outer surface of the food. If this is done correctly, there will be minimal oil absorption, and the chicken within will be succulent and moist.
However, if the oil temperature is low or not at the optimum temperature, the food will simply soak and absorb more oil. This results in bad tasting chicken that is bad for you.
So go ahead and fry the right way. I guess if you want to be all healthy about it, you could omit the breading, but heck, that defeats the purpose of fried chicken. Besides, once in a while, you deserve to treat yourself to something sinfully savory.
Deep Frying Tips
Recipe
Jalapeño Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Serves 4.
Recipe adapted from: Fried Chicken 101, The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, by The Editors of Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2000; Southwestern-Style Fried Chicken Wings, by Emeril Legasse, 2007; Buttermilk-Brined Fried Little Chickens, Boulevard: The Cookbook, by Nancy Oakes and Pamela Mazzola, 2005.
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Several tablespoons Tabasco, to taste
- 6-8 small pieces of chicken, cut up, skin on
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1/8 cup salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
Combine buttermilk, salt, jalapeno peppers, garlic, lime juice, tobasco and chicken in a resealable bag or air tight container to marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.
Combine flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and baking powder in a bag or large mixing bowl. Dredge the chicken pieces and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes (ideally, one hour in the refrigerator), on a wire rack and baking sheet.
Gently heat oil to 350° F. Depending on the size of your chicken, fry for about 4-6 minutes per side, until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F (thigh meat). Drain on several layers of paper towels and allow to rest approximately 7 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Great job on the video! The chicken looks extremely crispy!
Having never met you in person, it’s fun to see you live, on camera! You are as charming as your voice reads in your posts.
Great job with your fried chicken. You looked relaxed (even around a vessel of hot oil) and your instruction was clear and concise.
Well done Liren~
Aw, Debi, thank you so much :) I’m relieved to hear your positive (and generous) comments about the video. After all was said and done, I was tempted to do the whole thing over again, but there you go, the video is me through and through. If I ever have the courage to do another one, I imagine it will be much smoother, I definitely learned a lot from this experience!
I am dreaming about your fryer, and your chicken and your winning personality too. GREG
That fried chicken looks AMAZING!! Can I come over and eat some now?? ;) It was great meeting you at fbzfest!
Hi Jen! A rather late reply, forgive me, but yes, c’mon over! The chicken is waiting :)
I’m gonna hold you to that promise next time I’m in SF!!! :)
Hey Lirin-
It was so nice meeting you this weekend (through Gina, my roommate)!!! I have enjoyed looking through all of your posts, and can’t wait to read more of your Project Food Blog Posts. Good Luck!!!
Thanks for the well wishes on PFB, Lauren! I definitely appreciate it!!
Great job! Good luck! I wanted to say that it was a pleasure meeting you this past weekend. You are just the way I imagined, sweet, kind and beautiful.
Norma, I was SO happy to meet you, too! You were warm and vivacious, just as you write, and I’m so glad that we found one another on Saturday evening! Your family is so very lucky to have you :)
As you have shown, anyone can have soul!!! This sounds like the perfect combination of spicy and comfort… something you want to eat outside with all of you friends and a glass of beer!
It was wonderful meeting you but, as you said, it wasn’t enough. We’ll have to do it again soon!
Brian, I think they will have to extend these Foodbuzz Festivals so there is more time to meet and hang out with everyone! So glad to have finally met you, though, and yes, it would be nice to meet again soon!
As for fried chicken and beer – a great combination. Maybe it’s time for me to start brewing my own :)
Liren, thanks for a peek into your kitchen. Your video was great and your chicken looked delicious! Good luck in the next round!!
Thank you, Kelsey! I need all the good luck wishes I can get!
Great job Liren! You have a great voice and presence on camera! Good luck with this round! Thanks to you – now I’m craving fried chicken!
Aw, you are too kind! I’m glad you think so :) It was great to meet you, Quyen! I’m glad we were able to enjoy that delicious gala dinner together!
Great video and delicious chicken! Very flavourful recipe.
Beautifully done Liren! =) You put us all to shame. That chicken is mouthwatering, and the marinade sounds really flavorful. I could definitely go for a couple of pieces right about now. You always have my vote!
Best of luck!!! =)
Wonderful video, Liren! You have me wanting to buy an electric deep fryer now. Plus, I have this strange craving for fried chicken. Hmm…
Congrats!
Looks divine! I am a new follower!
xo
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m so impressed with your post. You did an amazing job and you helped demystify what has always been a scary prospect. You have my full support!
Nicely done, Liren! Your were nervous for nothing–I couldn’t have been as composed as you were. Great job. :-)
Great job, Liren!! That was a very difficult challenge and you did a great job. It was very informative and you were very composed. Good luck. Of course, I’ll be pulling for you!
Hands down, fried chicken is my favorite guilty pleasure and soaking it in jalapeno buttermilk sounds divine. Good Luck!!
This is such a great video! I hope you do them more often! You did a terrific job in demystifying a great buttermilk fried chicken, and took a lot of fear out of it for me. Great job!
I need one of those great deep fryers…then maybe I wouldn’t mind frying foods :) Been wanting to try that recipe from the ad hoc at home cookbook.
Very well done, Liren!
Yum, fried chicken is one of my weaknesses. Great job on your first video, Liren. I expect to see more videos from you from now on. And great to know a deep fryer is so kitchen-worthy ;)
Liren great job !! I love good crispy fried chicken :) I know that this was no easy feat but BRAVO.
Great video that really demystifies deep frying! You’ve got my vote!
Liren!!! You are too cute! This is awesome! Congrats on your first cooking video—I know that 6 minutes on YouTube is a lot of prep, sweat and editing. Great job!
Thanks Ms. Spicy! Whew, just thinking about doing this video is making me tired all over again, LOL. Thank you for appreciating the work that went into it – I know you know it well :)
This looks delicious! Great job on the video and best of luck in the challenge!
Thank you, Jennifer!
Best of luck!!
Thank you, Mary!
Love the title…We defiantly have soul here in California :)
Great video and perfect choice for the challenge…Be back to vote!
P.S. If a vegetarian is captivated by the video…well you know everyone will be :)
If I can captivate a vegetarian, then I am hopeful!!! Thank you so much for always supporting me, you’re the best!
How could I not ;) Just stopped back by to vote…Best wishes to you on this challenge (not that you need luck).
Have a lovely week!
Great job on your video Liren! I love your kitchen and your fried chicken looks really delicious…plus you’re very photogenic!
Aw, thanks Winnie! You’re too sweet!
I want a bucket of that chicken right now!!! That looks so much better than the chicken I used to sell at KFC :)
Hi Olga! Oh, I have to say, it definitely tastes better than KFC!
Liren – NICE JOB!! I love Ad Hoc and the cookbook is amazing! Your video came out great along with the post! I am casting a vote for you and I wish you all the best with challenge #7! I know you will sail through. Can hardly wait to see your pumpkin delight! Will miss all of you at the festival – but have a terrific time!!! :-)
Lisa, we missed you this weekend! I hope that you had a wonderful time at your event, and that next year, you can join us for the next Foodbuzz Festival.
Thank you so much for your encouragement – this was hard to do, just me myself and I (and the tripod), but I did the best I could, within the time frame originally given. I really appreciate your positive thoughts!
Beautiful kitchen and cool video!! I love fried chicken.. I’ll have them anyday! :)
Thank you, Kimba :) The great thing about this challenge is that it forced me to keep my kitchen clean for days, LOL :)